Every year young people from all over the world flock to Australia to study or work. Experts are expecting Australia’s overseas migration intake may drop by more than 85% on the 2018-19 levels in the next financial year due to widespread travel bans brought on by the coronavirus.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the effect of coronavirus on migration visas was expected to be quite considerable; “On the 2018-19 year for net overseas migration, we are assuming just over a 30% fall in 2019-20, the current financial year. But now in 2020-21, an 85 per cent fall-off those 2018-19 levels as well.”

Closed borders

With international border closures expected to stay in place for at least an additional three to four months, the federal government believes net migration will decrease to just 36,000 in 2020-21. Anna Boucher, University of Sydney’s Global Migration Specialist said she assumed the “very significant” estimate was the biggest fall in net overseas migration in recent history.

In a statement, Boucher advised it would be tough to predict the accurate numbers until it is known how many people are expected to remain in the country longer than planned due to the visa extension policies put in place by the government.

Meanwhile, approximately 300,000 temporary visa holders have already left Australia since the start of the year, Immigration Minister Alan Tudge said in a statement earlier this week.